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Recycling Pilot Program Summary The City has offered a curbside recycling program since 1987. Materials were source - separated by residents until the beginning of 1999, when the City converted to its current dual- stream (two -sort) curbside recycling collection program. Over the years the frequency of collection has increased, from monthly, to twice per month, and then to every other week. Between 2,500 and 3,000 tons of material have been collected per year since 1992 (21 to 26 pounds /household /set -out); however there has been no sustained growth since 1992. As part of its current curbside recycling collection contract with the City, Waste Management collaborated with the City to implement a pilot study. Pilot Study Design and Methodology Design Parameters Trend for Increasing Commingling Beginning in the 1980's and early 1990's in much of Minnesota and the metropolitan area, residential curbside collection programs required residents to separate recyclables into several categories. Following a trend that had already begun elsewhere in North America, by the late 1990's some waste haulers and recycling collectors in Minnesota were converting to the commingled dual- stream system (also referred to as dual -sort or two -sort). In this system, residents separate recyclable materials into two streams: fiber (paper products including newspapers, cardboard, magazines, mixed paper) and containers (rigid containers including metal cans, plastic bottles, and glass bottles). This dual- stream collection method is the City's current system. More recently, Waste Management, the City's contracted recycling vendor since 1999, has been converting some of its contracted municipalities from a dual- stream collection system to a single- stream system, whereby mixed fibers and mixed rigid containers are combined in one container, usually a large, wheeled cart. There are two other haulers that have, or plan to implement single- stream systems in the metropolitan area in the near future. A key reason for the shift to increased commingling is to make recycling more convenient for residents, thereby fostering additional participation and recovery of materials, and potentially lowering costs. The tradeoff in this system is that more processing is required at materials recovery facilities (MRFs) to separate mixed recyclable materials and make them acceptable to end -use markets. Some industry professionals have cited concerns that commingled systems can result in increased contaminants that have to be disposed as refuse, as well as an increase in the amount of broken glass generated as a result of commingling. Recent Studies Two studies in recent years have suggested ways to improve local recycling programs. 2 DRAFT B1605